Erdea

Elves

Calling themselves the Quesseri, the long-lived elves are children of the natural world, similar in many superficial ways to fey creatures, yet different as well. The oldest of the mortal races, the elves were created by Etsijä the Huntress not long after the dawn of the world to help rid Erdea of the Dark Lady’s monstrosities.

Elves value their privacy and traditions, and while they are often slow to make friends, at both the personal and national levels, once an outsider is accepted as a comrade, such alliances can last for generations. Elves have a curious attachment to their surroundings, perhaps as a result of their incredibly long lifespans or some deeper, more mystical reason. Elves who dwell in a region for long find themselves physically adapting to match their surroundings, most noticeably taking on coloration reflecting the local environment. Elves also tend to feel a certain superiority over the other races as the first race, and likely also as a result of their long lives.

Physical Description: Although generally taller than humans, elves possess a graceful, fragile physique that is accentuated by their long, pointed ears. Their eyes are wide and almond-shaped, and filled with large, vibrantly colored pupils. While elven clothing often plays off the beauty of the natural world, those elves that live in cities tend to bedeck themselves in the latest fashion.

Society: Elvish society began in Mithland, and it remains the cultural center of the elven world. Maraph as well is a nation ruled by elves, though they society there is more open to cooperation with other races. The oldest of the worlds elves are often militant, with deep prejudices brough on by millenia of war. Many other elves outside Mithland feel a great wariness from the constant conflict, and instead strive to live a life of peace. As a result the elvish settlements in much of the world are hidden away from prying eyes. Many elves feel a bond with nature and strive to live in harmony with the natural world. Most, however, find manipulating earth and stone to be distasteful, and prefer instead to indulge in the finer arts, with their inborn patience making them particularly suited to wizardry.

Relations: Elves have a deep enmity with humanity stretching back to the beginnings of the Elfwar. Elves are prone to dismissing other races, writing them off as rash and impulsive, yet they are excellent judges of character. An elf might not want a dwarf neighbor (especially if these particular dwarves sided with humans in battle), but would be the first to acknowledge that dwarf’s skill at smithing. They regard halflings with a measure of pity, for these small folk seem to the elves to be adrift, often living in the shadows of others. Elves are often disgusted by half-elves in the world, and usually disown such offspring. They regard half-orcs with distrust and suspicion, if not outright hostility.

Alignment and Religion: Elves are emotional and capricious – often downright wrathful, yet value peace and beauty. Most elves are chaotic good. As the creator of their race, most elves revere the Huntress above all other gods- but worship them all as part of the natural world.

Adventurers: Many elves embark on adventures out of a desire to explore the world, leaving their secluded forest realms to reclaim forgotten elven magic or search out lost kingdoms established millennia ago by their forefathers. Another common cause for adventuring is boredom- as trained elven warriors attempt to adjust to times of peace.

+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution: Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their form is frail.

Medium: Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.

Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light. See Additional Rules.

Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.

Weapon Familiarity: Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.

Languages: Elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.